| Types of reports |
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Introduction Purposes and Types Reports and Memos Report Checklist Report Sections Report Formats The Report Body |
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What kinds of reports are written? How is the report organized? Where are reports written? Why is the report written? How do you select a format and use it? What is format? Why should you use a format? A report or account is any informational work (usually of writing, speech, television, or film) made with the specific intention of relaying information or recounting certain events in a widely presentable form. General Checklist Did you begin by asking yourself: Who will read the report?; What do they want to know?; How should the report be structured? Have you planned and prepared the report with the reader in mind? Did you follow the format specified in your course or by your __________? Did you use enough headings and make them in a clear hierarchy? Is the important information easy to follow? Does the document use the most appropriate typefaces, sizes, styles or alignments? Does the document have enough white space? Would you be willing to have your competence in your field judged on the basis of how you presented this report? Informal Lab Report Has the introduction explained the problem you worked on and the purpose of your work? Did you adequately describe your apparatus and procedures if you were asked to do so or had a reason to do so? Does the body clearly indicate the data obtained, and have you discussed and evaluated your data?v If you were asked to do so, did you include useful, clear conclusions and recommendations? Short Memo Report Does the heading contain all the relevant information such as To, From, Date, Subject, and so on? Is your subject stated clearly and concisely, with the most important words at the beginning of the subject line? Does your introductory statement include the general problem (the “big picture”), the specific question or task being dealt with in your memo, a clear explanation of why the report is being submitted or what it is intended to do, and how significant it is to the reader? Have you tried to persuade the reader of the reliability of your methods? Have you presented your findings or results clearly and concisely with the most important results first? Have you put less important matter separately in an attachment or appendix? Have you discussed the significance of the results from the reader’s viewpoint? If your report is supposed to include your conclusions and recommendations, are they emphasized and stated clearly (e.g. numbered list)? Have you suggested some specific steps the reader could take to act on your recommendations? Have you used headings to help your reader survey and locate information on the page? Have you marked key points? If your purpose was to persuade, have you placed your strongest argument first? Is the report as concise as you can possibly make it? Long Report Is the report organized so that the reader knows: What was done (the problem worked on)?; How it was done (the procedures)?; What results were found?; What conclusions and recommendations can be drawn, if requested? Does the body of the report move from general to specific? Are the results presented clearly and in the specific way you found out? Are there enough headings and subheadings to help readers find their way through the report, and are the headings in a clear hierarchy? Are all headings and subheadings listed in the table of contents? Is the important information easy to find? Abstract Does it summarize the main points and include specific results? Is it clear and concise? Is it self-sufficient? (Can it be read without having to refer to the body of the report?) Are there any recommendations you can supply here? Figures and Tables Are the figures located wherever readers would find them easily helpful or persuasive? Do all the figures and tables have numbers and captions? If the figures and tables are referred to in the text, are page numbers included? Are the figures and tables correctly labeled? Are the figures and tables explained or interpreted adequately? Are the figures and tables listed in the table of contents or in separate lists following the table of contents? Do the figures look attractive and easy to read? Are all units in the figures and tables clearly indicated? What is the difference between a report and a book? What are the types of English language reports? What is the difference between an essay and report? What is the difference between a report and a book? A report can be compiled in a book format if it is many pages long. Not all reports can be compiled in a book. Many letters, e-mails, and essays can be compiled in a book. All the reports are written in question-and-answer format. A final presentation can vary from presenting a question-and-answer format to presenting answers only. What are the types of English language reports? Types of Reports 1. Business 2. Progress Report 3. Scientific 4. Police 5. Intelligence 6. Military 7. Annual Report 8. News Report 9. Feasibility Study 10. Research Report 11. (the list goes on) Writing Reports: The Process 1. Collect information, screen bias, disinformation, screen malicous engineering. Survey Experiment Research Investigation 2. Organize A. Statement of purpose B. Give background information C. Tell how the report was conducted D. Present your findings/results E. Give your conclusions/recommendations 3. Write the Report 4. Revise/Edit In report writing, you must be as objective as possible. Do not approach the task with any bias. Testing Writing What to test Accuracy Content/Substance Vocabulary/word choice Organization Fulfillment of purpose How to test Essay Paragraph/Article Reports Letter Other formats Scoring Weighted Factors (Example) Content Grammar Organization Vocabulary Fulfillment of Task Report writing is an essential skill for professionals. A report aims to inform, as clearly and succinctly as possible. Below we give some general guidelines, but you should check with your lecturer/professor for more detail on what is expected. A report is similar to an essay in that both need: formal style introduction, body and conclusion analytical thinking careful proof-reading and neat presentation A report should generally include the following sections. Letter of transmittal Title page Table of contents List of abbreviations and/or glossary Executive summary/abstract Introduction Body Conclusion Recommendations References/Bibliography Appendices Presentation and style are important. First impressions count, so consider these simple tips: ensure the separate parts of your report stand out clearly use subheadings allow generous spacing between the elements of your report use dot points/ numbers/ letters to articulate these elements use tables and figures (graphs, illustrations, maps etc) for clarification. number each page use consistent and appropriate formatting use formal language Avoid these: the inclusion of careless, inaccurate, or conflicting data the inclusion of outdated or irrelevant data facts and opinions that are not separated unsupported conclusions and recommendations careless presentation and proof-reading too much emphasis on appearance and not enough on content. Report writing is an essential skill for professionals in almost every field: Teachers, Media, Foreign Ministers, Law Enforcement, Ambassadors, Physicians, Doctors, Nurses, Engineers, Accountants, Architects, Food Workers, Check in Agents, Global Directors, Intelligence, Priests/Counsellors, Pilots, Hotel Staff, HR Professionals, IT Professionals, Lawyers, Legal Assistants, Marketting Professionals, Nurses, Management Consultants, PR Specialists, Politicians, Secretaries, Singers, Special Agents, Travel Agents, Scientists (the list goes on). That�'s one of the reasons why your lecturers, Professors will almost certainly require you to write reports during your period of study at the University. A report aims to inform, as clearly and succinctly as possible. It should be easy to read, and professional in its presentation. Exactly what you include in your report and how you present it will vary according to your discipline and the specific purpose of the report. Here we give some general guidelines, but you should check with your lecturer for more detail on what is expected. Ask Yourself Does the report answer the question/satisfy the brief? Is the content relevant, well sequenced (logically arranged) and to the point? Are all the main aspects covered in sufficient depth? Is each main point well supported with explanation and evaluation, examples and argument? Is there a clear distinction between your ideas and other people's ideas? Are all sources acknowledged (references?) Is the length what was required? If it is too long can over-elaborate sections be made more concise. Can some sections be omitted for reason that they add little to your main argument? Is the report clearly written and well laid out? Is the report legible and are the grammar, punctuation and spelling correct? Are the sentences and is the sense clear? The Terms of Reference Before writing a report, establish its terms of reference i.e. why it is needed and by whom. The Terms of Reference will define the scope of the report, the ground it seeks to cover and why, its length and the date required. Is it merely to convey information or is it hoping to bring about change? In report writing, you must be as objective as possible. Do not approach the task with any bias. Collect information, screen bias, disinformation, screen malicous engineering. Reports and essays�what�s the difference? A common problem is that students transfer what they have learned about essay writing to report writing. Both essays and reports need: formal style careful proof-reading and neat presentation introduction, body and conclusion analytical thinking |
| What is the difference between an essay and report? |
| A Report | An Essay |
| Usually needs references and bibliography/reference list | May not need references and bibliography/reference list |
| Uses numbered headings and sub-headings | Uses minimal sub-headings, if any. |
| Uses short, concise paragraphs and dot-points where applicable | Links ideas into cohesive paragraphs, rather than breaking them down into a list of dot-points |
| Uses graphics wherever possible (tables, graphs, illustrations) | Rarely uses graphics |
| May need an abstract | Will only need an abstract if it is very long, or if your lecturer asks for one specifically |
| Usually followed by recommendations and/or appendices | Seldom has recommendations or appendices |
| (the list goes on) | (the list goes on) |
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Report structure What follows is a generic structure for reports. Using this structure will help to give your report the correct level of formality; it will also help to ensure that you do not leave out anything important. However, the actual structure required by your discipline may not be exactly what is represented here - you should check with your lecturer/Professor. A report should generally include the following sections. Letter of transmittal Title page Table of contents List of abbreviations and/or glossary Executive summary/abstract Introduction Body Conclusion Recommendations References/Bibliography Appendices Letter of transmittal specified by your lecturer/Instructor/Supervisor/professor This is a letter to the person who commissioned the report, in which you effectively hand over your work to that person. Include: a salutation (eg. Dear _______) the purpose of the letter (eg. Here is the final version of the report on __________.) the main finding of the report any important considerations an acknowledgement of any significant help an expression of pleasure or gratitude (eg. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to work on this report.) Title page This must contain: the report title which clearly states the purpose of the report full details of the person(s) for whom the report was prepared full details of the person(s) who prepared the report the date of the presentation of the report Table of Contents (usually only if the report is longer than, say, ten pages) This is a list of the headings and appendices of the report. Depending on the complexity and length of the report, you could list tables, figures and appendices separately. Make sure the correct page numbers are shown opposite the contents. Up-to-date word processing packages can generate a table of contents for you. Abbreviations and/or glossary If necessary, you should provide an alphabetical list of the abbreviations you have used in the report, especially if they may not be familiar to all readers of the report. If you have used a lot of technical terms, you should also provide a glossary (an alphabetical list of the terms, with brief explanations of their meanings). Acknowledgements (if appropriate) This is a short paragraph thanking any person or organisation which gave you help in collecting data or preparing the report. Abstract (Summary or Executive Summary) An abstract is quite different from an introduction. It is a summary of the report, in which you include one sentence (or so) for every main section of your report. For example, you can include: the context of the research the purpose of the report the major findings (you may need several sentences here) the conclusions the main recommendations Write the abstract after you have written the report. Introduction Give enough background information to provide a context for the report. State the purpose of the report. Clarify key terms and indicate the scope of the report (ie what the report will cover). Body The content of the body depends on the purpose of the report, and whether it is a report of primary or secondary research. A report of primary research (based on your own observations and experiments) would include: Literature review (what other people have written about this topic. See guide on writing a literature review). The literature review should lead towards your research question. Method (summarises what you did and why). Use the past tense. Findings or results (describes what you discovered, observed, etc, in your observations and experiements). Use the past tense. Discussion (discusses and explains your findings and relates them to previous research). Use the present tense to make generalisations. A report of secondary research would include: Information organised under appropriate topics with sub-headings. It is unlikely that your report will discuss each source separately. You need to synthesise material from different sources under topic headings. Analysis/discussion of the sources you are reporting. Conclusion Sum up the main points of the report. The conclusion should clearly relate to the objectives of your report. No surprises please! (that is, don�t include new information here.) Recommendations (if appropriate) These are suggestions for future action. They must be logically derived from the body of your report. Bibliography (See References for more information). Appendices An appendix contains material which is too detailed, technical, or complex to include in the body of the report (for example, specifications, a questionnaire, or a long complex table of figures), but which is referred to in the report. Appendices are put at the very end of the report, after everything else. Each appendix should contain different material. Number each appendix clearly. Presentation of the report The content and structure of your report is important; so is the presentation and style. First impressions count, so consider these simple tips to ensure your report is reader-friendly: ensure the separate parts of your report stand out clearly use subheadings allow generous spacing between the elements of your report use dot points/ numbers/ letters to articulate these elements use tables and figures (graphs, illustrations, maps etc) for clarification. Label them clearly and cite the source. These graphics should relate to the text of your report; for example, Figure 1 shows that the _____ of Atlanta has increased dramatically since 1990, or The _______ of Atlanta has increased dramatically since 1990 (see Figure 1). number each page (a neat header and/or footer makes your work look more professional) use consistent and appropriate formatting (you may like to follow the report format supplied with your word processing package) use formal language. It would be worth having a look at the language which is used in other, similar reports to check out useful expressions and terms. Common problems Some common problems with research report writing that you should take care to avoid are: the inclusion of careless, inaccurate, or conflicting the inclusion of outdated or irrelevant data facts and opinions that are not separated unsupported conclusions and recommendations too much emphasis on appearance and not enough attention to solid content. 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